New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi began his two-day visit from Banaskantha in Gujarat on Friday. During this period, he gifted development projects worth more than Rs 14 thousand crores. These schemes include facilities related to farming, dairy, railways, roads, metro and child care. The main focus of the tour will be on the development of North Gujarat. After this, the Prime Minister will reach Ekta Nagar in Kevadiya on October 31, where National Unity Day celebrations will be organized on the 151st birth anniversary of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel.
Bharat Bovine Breeding and Research Center (BBBRC) has been set up in Bhiladi, Banaskantha. This center spread over about 127 acres will work on breeding and developing better breeds of Kankrej breed of animals. It is said to be the first such center in the country which has been specially built for this breed. This is expected to speed up the process of breed improvement by 10 to 20 times. Apart from this, two bio-CNG plants will be built by Banas Dairy in Tharad and Radhanpur. In these, 75 and 100 metric tons of cow dung can be processed daily respectively.
521 projects prepared under the Agricultural Infrastructure Fund will also be dedicated to promote farming. About Rs 4,950 crore has been spent on these. These include facilities like warehouses, cold storage, greenhouses and food processing centres. Potato processing plant at Sanadar and modern storage system at Palanpur will also be inaugurated. At the same time, more than 1.3 lakh farmers are expected to benefit from 12 horticulture clusters. The Prime Minister will also release Rs 19 thousand crore as the 24th installment of Kisan Samman Nidhi.
Expansion of metro, road and railway connectivity
Two new extensions will be built in the second phase of Ahmedabad Metro. There will be five stations on the approximately six kilometer line reaching the airport. At the same time, more than 3.3 kilometers will be extended from GIFT City to Shahpur. Apart from this, there is a plan to expand the Ahmedabad-Mehsana Highway from four to eight lanes, which will cost approximately Rs 2,600 crore. Ahmedabad-Sabarmati-Varanasi Express and Mehsana-Becharaji-Sabarmati MEMU train services will also be started on this occasion. 4,030 new Anganwadi centers will be built and 361 ready centers will be inaugurated for the facilities of children. Rs 800 crore will be spent on this scheme.
Bharat Parv and new projects in Ekta Nagar
On October 31, the Prime Minister will reach the Statue of Unity and pay tribute to Sardar Patel and participate in the National Unity Day celebrations. Bharat Parv 2026 will also be inaugurated here, which will continue till November 15. In this, culture, food, handicrafts and tourist places of different states will be displayed. The light decoration prepared with more than 1.5 crore LED lights will also be the center of attraction in Ekta Nagar. It includes the 530 meter long Valley of Flowers Road and the 180 meter Glow Tunnel. Apart from this, projects worth more than Rs 400 crore will be inaugurated and foundation stone laid. These include schemes related to water purification plant, development of Narmada Ghat, IRCTC hotel and waste management.